The Reason Why
by woah.1
Summary: Explaining the indepth mind of James: How he became a vampire, and why he wanted to kill Bella. The story starts before he was changed. It does contain some spoilers to Twilight. Please leave reviews!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1. Before.

Before I changed, before I became so much more powerful, I had lived in Italy, on the outskirts of Volterra. Of course, my memories are brief and quite blurry, as most human memories are.

My family was poor and did not have much money to spend on the eleven children. My father got drunk often, and would spend that little money we had, on his alcohol. He beat my mother. That was the worst. I hated seeing her cry, covered in bruises from that horrendous man. None-the-less, I wound up pick pocketing for my family, so we wouldn't be as bad off, a wasted effort as my father always took the money.

When I grew older, and got into my adolescent years, I began following people, tracking them, if you will. It led me to the homes of vastly rich people, and I got more and more money out of it. My family was better off. But that meant my father had more money to spend. My mother got weaker.

I continued to follow and track people into my adulthood. On my last, human tracking, when I was around 25, I ran into a pale man. He perplexed me, his eyes flared red, his sleek black hair reached his shoulders, he was so physically beautiful, I was stunned. He glared at me, for I had, actually, run right into him. But his moment of anger quickly, for some reason I could not explain, turned to a sort of glee. His lips broadened over a pure white set of teeth.

"Hello," he said. No, that would be an understatement. He purred. Like a liquefied version of a very romantic word. I was unbelievably mesmerized by this odd man. "It is so nice to have run into you," This confused me. Why would he be so elated to see me? I was just an average man. Yet I was immediately confident in myself that I was the finest thing this man had ever come across.

"Why, yes, I suppose it is," I had replied in my most luxurious voice, which was nowhere near as voluptuous as his.

"Would you like to accompany me for dinner?" As some people may agree, if a man who you do not know in any way at all invites you to dinner, your answer is "No. Not a chance, that would be insane." But my answer was nothing like that.

"Oh, that would be splendid. I would enjoy that," I said this because that man, that unexplainably wonderful man, was so—oh there are no words for it—beautiful, that I instantly agreed.

And we went. We traveled to his mansion, or castle rather, and walked under the marvelous arches and the magnificent domes. And this man was not alone. He had two other men with him, both remarkably like him, although one had white hair rather than black. But they all had that pale skin and those bright crimson eyes.

My body started to shake, then, and I didn't immediately understand why. Then I noticed that the three men were looking at me as though they would like to eat me, and I grew very wary and concerned for my well-being.

"Oh isn't he splendid?" The man who brought me spoke first. "Caius, what do you think?" He spoke to the other black-haired man.

"Well, I don't see anything remarkably special about him, Aro. Though, he does look tasty." I shivered, a cold ripple went down my spine.

Aro, the one who brought me, spoke again, "No, you don't see his potential. This is the one who was sneaking into people's houses and following others without being noticed!" But I had been noticed, if this Aro was able to see me.

"Ah," spoke the white-haired man, "So this is the one you had spoken about." My back pushed against a cold, stone wall. I had subconsciously been backing up the entire time. "Well, what are we waiting for?"

And they advanced on me. They moved so quickly that I could not be sure what happened. A searing pain ripped through me, starting at my neck, like someone had put an iron on my throat and left it there, only much, much worse. I fell to the floor and writhed on the ground in pain, unable to put that fire out. It traveled quickly through my body, infecting every available space. It raged in me for what felt like centuries, but it was only three days.

Then I was strong.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2. And then.

I became something so much more powerful than I could hope for. I was grateful to the brothers, who I learned to be keepers of the secrets of vampires, like the royalty, the guardians. They had turned me into one of them because I possessed a skill, I could track easily, and they needed that.

I fell deeply in love with Aro, the one who had changed me. He was so intelligent and interesting, and he told me stories of his past and where he had come from.

"It was quite devastating," Aro's soft voice brought me into the story so I could almost witness what had happened to him. "They came as a plague, or a swarm of locusts, feasting on everyone and destroying everything. I was one of the lucky few who managed to run and hide from those vampires. I hid in a ditch, unaware that they could still find me. Of course they could, vampires have unparalleled senses. The one that found me was weak, blood-crazed. His eyes, those devastating eyes, shot into me as a bullet might. I couldn't let go of his stare, and he jumped on me, sunk his teeth into my neck, and why I didn't die is still a question to me. The venom penetrated quickly, and the vampire just kept drinking my blood. I became unconscious, and that is when the vampire left. Perhaps another vampire had come and wanted my blood as well, and they fought, or maybe the vampire had just pitied me and left," At this, Aro chuckled, "Of course, I presume it was not the latter. My blood was calling out to this vampire like a drug."

I told Aro my story, of my family, and my drunken, abusive father. How I would kill him when I had the chance. Aro seemed distraught when I told him this, he did not want my life to be full of such sorrow, and this is when I knew that Aro sincerely loved me.

I stayed for many years, with the three brothers, until one day, I was of no use to them.

"James," Aro approached me with a sullen look to his face. I stood in order for him to have my seat, but he gestured for me to stay. (Of course we didn't need to sit, it was merely out of habit.) This troubled me, as it should have, and I gave him a questioning glance.

"Oh, dear James. I have such terrible, terrible news." And this I knew was true, for Aro gave me a tragic stare which bore deep, to the bottom of my motionless heart. "We will not be needing your assistance any longer. We have found someone more capable." I understood, but could not make sense of it, that was why he had so much pity in his eyes, so much sorrow. Aro and I had grown a bond that was much stronger than was necessary. I was emotionally attached to him.

He let me go anyway. Like he didn't care that I would have to go and leave from this wonderful family. Like he had never loved me, never cared, never stolen secret kisses, never caressed me and cooed in my ear.

That's when I killed my father. He was still living in the same house, alone, as my mother had died years before. It was effortless, really, kind of a bore. He pleaded for his life, apologized for all that he put my mother through.

"Please, son!" He was on his knees on the floor, "Don't do this, you know this is unnecessary." He latched onto my leg. "I loved your mother, I loved you, and all of you eight siblings," At this I laughed, I actually laughed. I had ten siblings, what a stupid, deficient man. He was not worth my time. I killed him quickly, and his eyes lay open and his mouth twisted in agony.

I left for America soon after, I knew that some of my kind had traveled over there, and there were many, more unaware, humans there. It would be much more entertaining than hanging around, waiting for Aro to take me back. I had at first wanted to expose myself to the city of Volterra, to get back for what he had done to me, but I decided against it, because it would hurt him too much.

America, the land of opportunity, welcomed me with open arms. Not the people there-- I terrified and destroyed many towns through my journeys-- but the space available. Volterra was so cramped, and we rarely left the castle. But America had many forests and secluded areas where I could stay. I even met some of my kind.

The first I met were a couple in the northern part of Alaska, near Barrow. The male was named Handel, after the composer. He had a darker complexion than most vampires, and his eyes weren't of the same crimson red that the rest of us had, and he never told us for what reason, but he had wavy light brown hair which came to his shoulders, and a smile that was so much more genuine and intelligent than one I'd seen during my time as a vampire. Still, he could not compare to Aro, the one I had truly loved.

And the female, she was just too ridiculous to get along with. She had short, almost crew cut, black hair and always tended to look very enraged. I couldn't understand how Handel had learned to get along with _her_. She was constantly badgering on about how she was "concerned" about where we were, and if they would get found out. She really only wanted attention, stupid girl. She had told me her name once, but I chose to forget it, as she was of no importance to me, and should not have been to anyone else.

"Handel, you know this is irresponsible," I heard the girl whisper. "We don't know him. We don't know where he's from or what he's doing here." She sounded so idiotic, I nearly laughed.

"I trust him," said Handel, and I believed him, I honestly thought he would choose me over her. "James is helping us greatly, he's an excellent tracker, and we have benefitted from his assistance." I felt so wanted, for that short moment, that I nearly came out from where I was hidden, to take Handel's face between my hands, and stare into those peculiar eyes.

"Well I don't want him here," The girl huffed. "He is not friendly to me, and I don't like him." I really could not get along with her.

I left them soon after, trying to convince Handel to come with me, company is always so much better, and I felt like he enjoyed me much more than his dimwitted partner. But he refused me. He even had the nerve to say, "Why in the kings' names"—he was referring to Aro and his brothers, they were like our kings—"would I go with you? I am perfectly happy here and do not need to be concerned with your impulsive manner." That was difficult. I tended to be a bit of a "listen to your gut, do it now" kind of person.

I left that night and told myself to never go back to him. That made two to leave behind: Aro and Handel.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3. Concerning Victoria, then Laurent.

I traveled through Canada and then back through the continental America. I kept running into vampire couples, but never loners like myself. It was slightly depressing, thinking everyone but me had someone. No, it was very depressing. I made my way through America, stopping in every dark town. I really hated to make a spectacle of myself.

I was in Montpelier when I met a female vampire traveling by herself. Her name was Victoria. She had long, curly, unmanageable hair and very fierce eyes. They were almost cat-like. Victoria was a bit on the quirky side, which was what made me attracted to her. She couldn't stay still, which was very peculiar for a vampire. If the situation called for it, she was able to stay completely still, but she hated it. If her body wasn't moving, her eyes were shifting around constantly.

We stuck together, Victoria and me, because we both had no company, and she also enjoyed talking to someone. Victoria was a bit more, I'll be honest, insane than I was, and she was extremely vicious when attacking a human. I wasn't repulsed by it, actually intrigued. It made me a better hunter, to watch her. Victoria really would terrorize her victim before tearing him to pieces. And she preyed mostly on men, which had something to do with her human life which she had never told me. Of course I didn't pry, it was too private.

Victoria and I ran into many more couples along the way. We acted as though we were a couple as well, because she was a lesbian and I, clearly, was gay. It all went smoothly because we liked each other so much and got along very well. Victoria and I would ask one another very personal questions, but never about her reasons for killing men and my involvement with Aro and my feelings towards my father. Those were very touchy subjects. One night, Victoria was asking me pointless questions.

"What do you enjoy the most about being a vampire?"

"Well," this was a difficult one because there were so many things to like about being a vampire, so many things which were previously unattainable in my human state. "I think it's the ability to see so much more clearly. As a human, everything was blurred. Now, it's all so clear to me, so perfect." This was true, I always enjoyed being able to see the different colors within a ray of light. "And what about you, Victoria? What do you like most?"

Victoria answered quickly, she always thought of her own answer while you were responding to her questions. "I enjoy the power I have over subordinate humans. Especially those burly males who think they are so strong and capable, when really they're nothing but wasted muscle." I knew this wasn't the only reason why Victoria preferred to feast on men, but I did not question her further.

That's when we heard footsteps. Very faint but very close. Victoria and I jumped up and got into defensive positions.

A male vampire walked into the clearing. You could tell, well not you, you're not a vampire, but we could tell because he did not smell like a human. He stayed a distance but spoke in a very casual tone.

"My name is Laurent. I am pleased to have come across this gathering, as I have not met many of us in quite sometime."

He spoke so cautiously, as to not offend me, or rather Victoria, who was giving him an icy glare. But I immediately liked him. He was handsome, dark skinned with long black dreadlocks, and a bare chest which exposed his muscles. He was also very lovely to talk to and intelligent. He knew a lot about the Americas and told us a lot about the ways of the people around our area. I learned later on that he had grown up in the United States, and was turned into a vampire by a woman he had met who grew greatly affectionate, but then left after she had done it. Victoria was mad at first, about him butting into our lives, but she soon warmed up to him, as well. He was a very likable vampire, and I found myself laughing at his jokes and listening intently to his stories. I think I liked him more than I would have because I did not have a love interest in him. He wasn't that kind of person to me, and that was good.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4. More Trouble with Love.

The interesting thing about our group was that Victoria and I still pretended to be a couple around Laurent. We figured it was easier that way, and Victoria and I were more like brother and sister, still very close, but definitely not a couple.

Laurent became the head of our coven and planned where we were headed and all those details. Victoria, of course, was mad at first, but then she realized that Laurent knew much more about all of that than she did. We went even more north and traveled to Greenland to see what was over there. Don't be too excited, Iceland is much more interesting, and much greener, ironically.

But Greenland was habitable and there were people there who we feasted on. Unfortunately, we became too noticeable (as many people were disappearing) and we had to travel to Cape Horn in South America. Less people were there but still enough.

On our fourth day in Cape Horn, Victoria and I got into a devastating fight. She was angry at me for wandering around so much; she was afraid that I'd find my way into trouble and expose ourselves to the world.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Victoria screamed, "We don't know this place, we can't just frolic around like there's nothing to worry about!" She was fuming, and I just sat there and took it. "If you expose us, the _Volturi_ will come and you will get your head ripped off!" She really stressed the word Volturi, so she could make an even bigger point to me, and that struck me like a dagger through the heart, if I still had a beating heart.

"Fine, Victoria, I don't need this childish shit. You want to bring up things and shove them in my face, like it doesn't matter anymore? Well it does." I was glaring down at her now, practically standing on her toes, and she was glaring right back at me. "I'm leaving. Don't wait up for me!"

"Oh, we are _not_ going to be here when you get back, don't even imagine it!"

So I walked away, actually I ran, as fast as I could go. I made my way through the woods and across rivers and to possibly Northern Argentina by the time I stopped. I was going to go back, and they would be waiting for me, I knew they would, I just needed some time to cool off.

But I smelled something so mouthwatering, so savory, that I immediately turned in the direction it was coming from and sprinted off towards it. I was quite thirsty at that point in time, so I was very happy to find a man in front of me. The only thing was, he was already unconscious by the time I got there. I was about to pounce on him to get my fill of blood, but then I took a good look at his face. I never really do that with my prey, only to see the fear in their eyes, but this man I took a good look at, and I immediately fell in love. He had short black hair, with blood dripping down from his hairline, and a perfect, strong jaw. His eyebrows were symmetrical and he had full, rosy lips. I knew at that moment that I would not be able to drink his blood, but it was so nice smelling. I picked this newfound wonder up and slung him over my shoulder, and I ran all the way back to Victoria and Laurent.

They were there, of course, I knew they would be. Victoria looked up when she heard me and made an odd face. When she saw the man slung over my shoulder, her features became distorted with anger.

"What are you doing with that man?" She stood her distance so she would not be tempted by his blood.

"I, uh," I hadn't gotten that far with the planning, "I was bringing him back so we could all share him!" Pitiful excuse.

"_Bull shi-it_" She made shit two syllables, really stretching out the word. "You would have had his blood by now. You weren't planning on eating him," It wasn't a question, it was a statement. And I knew I couldn't respond, she knew my answer. Victoria looked deep into my eyes and sighed, something I did not expect her to do. "Okay, let's get this over with."

"What?" I was stunned, was she going to drink his blood, or actually do what I wanted and turn him into a vampire? "What are you planning?"

"Let's change him! God, sometimes I don't think you have a clue what you're doing." And Victoria grabbed the man off my back and leaned down to his neck. When she bit him, his eyes, his caramel brown eyes, popped open and he let out a horrible scream. Victoria struggled to walk away, as she clearly wanted to finish him off. I pulled her away and let him scream and scream, the pain quite apparent in those wonderful eyes.

"What the hell is all this?" Laurent walked into the clearing at that moment. "Why isn't he dead?"

Victoria and I glanced at each other, telling with the eyes for the other to explain to him.

"Well," Victoria started, "We feel like he has extreme potential and can be a great addition to our group." All the while, the beautiful man lay screaming in the unexplained torture.

"No," Laurent said. Plain and simple, no.

That's when Victoria exploded. "Damnit Laurent! You do _not_ have control over us. We were here first, you joined our group, and you are not privileged with all decision making. If James and I want to do this, you are vetoed. No more discussion. Now, get away from me before I tear your _fricking_ head off!" James, clearly dazed and confused with Victoria's sudden anger, just backed up a bit, but did not retort. Victoria turned her back on him and ignored him for the rest of the day. And the man continued to scream.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5. Pain.

I could not stray from this man's side, but I could not bear to watch him in all of his pain. I kept thinking of how close I came to killing him, how his blood had tasted so good. The man screamed for the entirety of his transformation. Sometimes his voice would get hoarse, barely audible, and other times his voice rang out through the forest, loud and clear and powerful. Whenever I would glance over at him, his face twisted, I would reconsider my decision and question if I should just end his misery.

On the night when he stopped screaming, I was far away from my post. I could not stand it anymore, just watching him scream, so I ran. On that night, though I was miles away, I sensed a change in the night's air. Immediately, I turned and sprinted back to where the man was.

The first thing I saw was Victoria, her face in shock. Then I saw Laurent, on the ground, not dead but also not aware. Then I saw the man. He was beautiful, pale with deep black hair. His eyes were bright red. He was perched in a tree high above us, glaring down at me. When he jumped, I just watched him fall, marveling at his exquisiteness. The man landed with such grace, and he advanced upon me, stopping directly before my face, his wonderful scent filling my nostrils.

"You did this?" He whispered, his voice rough. I just stared at him, I could not find words to say, something that would be worthy of his ears to gather. "Did you?!"

I stumbled, actually stumbled. Vampires do not stumble. We are stable, controlled creatures. But I still stumbled at this man's intensity, his anger, his resentment. I could not understand how he could be so angry, I had _saved _him. He should have been grateful.

"I am a monster," he breathed, his head turned away from me. "I am what destroys the lives of innocent people, what killed my family." He turned his eyes back to mine, clear hatred ringing in them. "Don't you understand? You've created something that is the devil's! This is a sin. I will burn in hell. I will burn now, and you will burn. You are Satan's apprentice."

The man, turned, and I reached for him. This was the wrong choice. He turned on me and snapped in my face, not hurting me physically, but I felt weak, so helpless. The man walked away, gathering sticks and firewood as he walked. He was going to burn himself, and I was going to let him.

I had forgotten entirely about Victoria and Laurent, until Victoria placed her soft hand on my shoulder, and I felt the weight of the world press down on me.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6.

I waited for the man to come back. In the back of my mind, I knew that he would not, but the hopeful thought always pushes the logical thought away.

Victoria and Laurent wanted to leave, for my sake as well as their own. They knew that place had no good memories for me, just pain and sorrow. They also felt danger by staying; too many people were becoming aware of our existence. We left Cape Town three days after the man had left me. Two days after I had stopped wondering what had happened to the man. One day after I had begun my resentment towards all men, towards anyone who could destroy my heart and the little stability I still had.

We ventured towards America, once again. We did not know where we were headed, only in the hopes of finding a quiet place, with no publicity, in order to find easy prey. This is how we came upon Forks, Washington.

This was one of the rainiest places in the world, besides the rainforest itself. It was not hard to find someone easy to kill, many people traveled alone. None were aware of the dangers which surrounded them, dangers which they could not hide from. The problem with this town was that it was small, not many people populated the town and this caused a difficulty. Luckily, these people were also not so bright; they believed it was an animal that killed that man, not something so much more powerful.

The first kill was much too easy: an older man, alone, and very weak. Victoria, of course, attacked him more vigorously than she had to, she did not necessarily care that he was about 65, just that he was a man, and for that unexplained reason, he deserved to die a horrible death. I did not mind, I just wanted his blood.

We had to wait for some time to attack again, the police had become involved and, frankly, we did not want to bother with them. The second kill was much of the same, and was not something I need to elaborate on. Another man, another hopeless shot at survival for him, more blood for us. Laurent was getting bored with this town, but got excited when the police started "tracking" us. I say this because, clearly, their capabilities were far below par. Victoria led them off track, and we were safe once again.

About one week after our last kill, we came across the scent of vampires, something we did not anticipate. There was a thunderstorm, and we could hear a game of baseball being played. We traveled towards the noise, more of us would be a welcome change, and we wanted to consult them on where we should head next. Laurent also wanted to join their game of baseball, as it was one of his favorites. When we arrived in the clearing that they were playing in, they were waiting for us, as if expecting our visit. There were eight of them, all well groomed, as though they were not traveling, but staying in one place. Three of the males approached us, and we moved forward to greet them.

Laurent spoke first to the front man who was clearly the leader, "We thought we heard a game," he said. Of course, he was eager to play rather than worrying about who these vampires were, and why they were so clean. "I'm Laurent, these are Victoria and James." After that, I did not pay attention to the conversation, all I heard were snippets of what was being said. I was busy studying these peculiar vampires. One male had not stepped forward, and it seemed as though he was guarding one of his family. This seemed strange to me, as vampires can fend for themselves.

I heard the head male of their group talk about a permanent residence, and this also seemed bizarre, this could only mean one of two things: they, like the Volturi, did not hunt on their land, in order to maintain their identity. Or they did not eat humans. I believed it to be the former, as the latter seemed completely ridiculous.

After a while, the head male and Laurent had come to some decision about discussing their permanent residence at their home. I was satisfied with this, as I was very curious, until a gust of wind was shot into my nostrils, filling them with the scent of blood. I whipped my head around to the male vampire, protecting his family, and understood immediately. He was not protecting one of his own, he was protecting his food. That greedy bastard.

I jerked into a crouch, and the male guarding the food did as well. Laurent became confused, and Victoria stared at the face of the girl, trying to comprehend all that had just happened. Laurent exchanged some words with the other coven, still I did not focus, as my attention was directly on the girl and that greedy vampire. I became more and more enraged. This vampire was beautiful, and I felt my heart twinge when I stared into his golden eyes.

"I said she's with us," the head male said. I was stunned, and grew even angrier by the fact that this exquisite male would protect a piece of meat over a vampire. Or me. I immediately decided that this girl must die, she did not deserve that vampire's love, she was only a dietary necessity.

They all left in different directions, and I ran to follow that girl. I kept my distance, as she was flanked by three vampires. I followed them to her house, and overheard her telling her father that she was headed to Florida, where her mother lived. Of course this was complete bull, she was only saying it because she knew I would be listening. They left with her bags packed, and I followed, waiting for my chance.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7. She's A Human. Have I made that point clear?

They tried to make me lose her trail, wearing her clothes and putting her scent on the plants around where they ran, and they were not headed for Phoenix. I almost fell for it, too, if they didn't make it so goddamn obvious. When I figured it out, I felt like an idiot, and that anger that had risen to the top somehow grew even higher. That girl would die a terrible death.

How could that wonderful vampire love her? He was so much stronger and capable. She was no more than an inexperienced human. This is why she needed to die. She did not deserve him, and he would also die, in avenging her, because he would not love me. Such a sad outcome.

"Victoria, I need something from you," Victoria was resting in a grove of the forest after she had chased one of the vampire's trucks, and she gave me an inquisitive glance. I tried to ask little of Victoria, because she would never let me live it down, and she had already chased that truck for me. "I need you to go to that girl's school, and find her records. I'm nearly positive she's not going to Phoenix, but I need to find out where she would go."

"Sure, I'll get them right now," I was stunned, Victoria never put up with my pleas so easily. And she didn't even question the reason why I needed that information. She just stood, brushed her eyes over me, and ran off. Something was different about her, but I couldn't figure out what, and had no time to either.

Victoria returned within thirty minutes with the information I so desperately needed. Arizona. Sunny and hot, a vampire's paradise. Could she really be headed there? Was she stupid enough to say where she was going, proclaiming it to the world?

"I'm going after her," I announced, and Victoria's face fell, momentarily, until she composed herself again. "Victoria, are you alright?" She seemed so disconsolate, so unhappy with the way the world was turning. I felt the need to change the Earth's rotation for her, if I had that ability. What was happening to me?

"Good luck," she whispered, and mumbled something more, which sounded somewhat like "I love you." Impossible.

I took the address of her house with me, maybe she had gone home. The school of hers also gave her cell phone number, what an imbecilic thing to do. I gave Victoria a hug, something which we rarely did, and held it for one extra moment. Was something happening between us? I knew I was not falling for her, my heart, sadly, was still set on Aro, and all the other men who I took a fancy to. But was Victoria, for some reason, falling for me? These questions I could not ask of her, I had a mission.

Running to Phoenix took no time. I arrived in the night, under the cover of the stars. I found her house, a nice size, with a wrap-around porch, in the suburbs of the city. To gain entrance was simplistic. Her backdoor could be fixed easily, but that was not of my concern. The first room from this entrance in the house was the kitchen, and I noted the mess on the counter, though no one was living there at the moment.

A small notebook on the counter took my notice, and I walked over to it and opened the front cover. Out of it fell a postcard with a dance studio, windows lining the walls, and a wooden floor. I held onto this. For some reason, I felt it would be of great use to me.

Her living room was adequate. The television was perched on a wooden stand, about to topple off. A movie was in the VCR, and I turned it on, to learn more about this girl whose life I would soon be ending.

"Bella? Bella! Where are you?" A mother's frantic voice. "Bella, you scared me! Don't you ever do that to me again." I felt some pity for this woman. She loved this girl, this Bella, so much, and I was going to take this girl's life right from her. Of course, the key word is _some _pity. _Some_, but not enough.

I had my plan, after watching this video. All I needed to do was call this Bella and scare her, and her mother needn't be involved at all.

I called her phone, and when someone answered, I let the video play "Bella?"

"No, she's right here," the voice replied. A vampire, one protecting Bella.

"Hello?" a human's voice. The task would be easy, at this point. I just had to keep the tape running for a bit.

"Bella? Bella?" her mother's voice was worried, and this would hopefully scare Bella enough. I paused the video.

"Calm down, Mom," I nearly chuckled when the girl said this, she had no idea what was in store for her. I let a silence carry out. This upset the girl, "Mom?"

"Be very careful not to say anything until I tell you to," I spoke into the phone. Even though I could not see her face, I imagined the confusion and fear that played across it. "Now, I don't want to hurt your mother-" the girl did not need to know that this was not her mother, she'd learn in due time. "-so please do exactly as I say, and she'll be fine." I allowed silence for a moment. I knew she would not say anything, because she could not let her mother die. "That's very good," I mock applauded her, playing with her emotions, destroying her slowly. "Now repeat after me, and do try to sound natural. Please say, 'No, Mom, stay where you are.' "

Her voice was unsteady when she said this, and I knew she was horror-stricken. "I can see this is going to be difficult," I mused. "Why don't you walk into another room now so your face doesn't ruin everything?" I insulted her at every chance I got, without sounding to wretched. "There's no reason for your mother to suffer," Of course not, her mother was nowhere near this place. "As you're walking, please say, 'Mom, please listen to me.' Say it now."

Her voice was stronger when she said this, and I could tell that she was pleading for her mother's life.

"There now, are you alone? Just answer yes or no."

"Yes," she replied this quietly, and her voice had no strength.

"But they can still hear you, I'm sure," Her vampire friends were probably sitting in the next room over, somewhat of a hassle on my part.

"Yes," she spoke again, answering my question, and probably hoping that they would save her.

I had to keep going with my plan. "All right, then. Say, 'Mom, trust me.' "

Once again, she repeated my words. Still, her voice was weak.

"This worked out rather better than I expected. I was prepared to wait, but your mother arrived ahead of schedule," I knew this would force her to crumble. "It's easier this way, isn't it? Less suspense, less anxiety for you," She probably had the most anxiety a teenage girl has ever had, I just wanted to mess with her head. "Now I want you to listen very carefully. I'm going to need you to get away from your friends; do you think you can do that? Answer yes or no."

"No," her reply somewhat shocked me. How could she say that, knowing, or thinking, that her mother would soon die because of it?

"I'm sorry to hear that. I was hoping you would be a little more creative than that. Do you think you could get away from them if your mother's life depended on it? Answer yes or no," I needed to get her away from her guardians.

Her response took a little longer. "Yes." And my plan was set into motion.

"That's better. I'm sure it won't be easy, but if I get the slightest hint that you have company, well, that would be very bad for your mother," it was so much fun to toy with her like that, "You must know enough about us be now to realize how quickly I would know if you tried to bring anyone with you. And how little time I would need to deal with your mother if that was the case. Do you understand? Answer yes or no."

"Yes," her voice broke when she said this, and I nearly laughed, because I could almost see her pain, and it caused me a lot of pleasure.

"Very good, Bella. Now this is what you have to do. I want you to go to your mother's house. Next to the phone there will be a number. Call it, and I'll tell you where you need to go from there." The dance studio, naturally. "Can you do that? Answer yes or no."

"Yes," of course she could.

"Before noon, please, Bella. I haven't got all day."

"Where's Phil?" I nearly broke the phone. How dare she ask a question out of line, it could completely destroy off my plan.

"Ah, be careful now, Bella. Wait until I ask you to speak, please," Stupid girl. "It's important, now, that you don't make your friends suspicious when you go back to them. Tell them that your mother called, and that you talked her out of coming home for the time being. Now repeat after me, 'Thank you Mom.' Say it now." Her reply was sadder, almost defeated. "Say, 'I love you, Mom, I'll see you soon.' Say it now." When she said this, I heard a promise in her voice, and I almost laughed. "Goodbye, Bella. I look forward to seeing you again," And I hung up.

My plans were in action. Now I just needed to prepare for Bella.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8. One Last Chance.

If Bella were smart, she would be at the dance studio within 3 hours. Unfortunately, Bella had proved herself to be an idiot. I knew I had time to prepare, time to make this as memorable as I wanted it to be. This allowed me to tour through her house and understand my victim, something I rarely had the chance to do. I wrote the number I wanted her to call on the whiteboard and went back into the living room.

On a table, a book was opened with a few sentences underlined. I picked up a book and found it to be J.D. Salinger's _The Catcher in the Rye_, a book I was never particularly interested in. *

"_Well, I'm not too crazy about Romeo and Juliet," I said. "I mean I like them, but- I don't know. They get pretty annoying sometimes. I mean I felt much sorrier when old Mercutio got killed than when Romeo and Juliet did. The thing is, I never liked Romeo too much after Mercutio gets stabbed by that other man…" _(Salinger 111)

I threw the book across the room, knocking over a lamp in the process. How could someone not like Romeo? That play is a classic, and this kid just went and mutilated it. Romeo is the most romantic, desirable man ever written in the English language. What a stupid man that J.D. Salinger was.

I picked up the movie that was in the VCR on the way out and picked up a video camera lying on the coffee table; it could come in handy somehow. I went over and retrieved that stupid book, in order to burn it of course. Next to the quote, something I had not read before, was some delicate hand writing stating her opinion, Bella's I assumed.

_Romeo is a stupid jock who goes with any girl he is physically attracted to, even if he doesn't know them. Holden relates to Mercutio, he's compassionate and intelligent, not stupid like Romeo.**_

Once again, the book was thrown across the room, this time putting a dent in the wall. I didn't even bother to pick it up, afraid of what I might see there.

I sprinted to the dance studio where I was to meet Bella. I put the video into the VCR at the dance studio and I waited. Bella would come, and then she would be no more.

***I actually love this book, and I feel bad disrespecting such a wonderful author.**

**Mr. Salinger, please don't be frustrated.**

****These are my notes in my copy of **_**The Catcher in the Rye**_**. I did not plagiarize.**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9.

The phone rang once and I was surprised at how soon she had called.

"Hello, Bella," I said in my most pleasurable voice. I didn't want to scare her yet; all her pain was needed for later. "That was very quick. I'm impressed."

"Is my mom all right?" Oh, I guess not all of her pain could be used for later.

"She's perfectly fine." More fine than Bella could possibly imagine. "Don't worry, Bella, I have no quarrel with her. Unless you didn't come alone, of course," I could frighten her a little. It's all in good fun, for me at least.

"I'm alone," And I could hear it in her voice. This was the most she had ever been alone in the entirety of her life. She had never experienced this kind of thing. To feel as though you would never see the one you loved, to be without that person you so desperately needed to be with.

"Very good. Now, do you know the ballet studio just around the corner from your home?"

"Yes, I know how to get there." Of course she did.

"Well, then, I'll see you very soon." And I hung up. That was that. Now, all I had to do was wait.

Soon was an understatement. That girl must have sprinted. I was joyed by her enthusiasm, though I was sure she was not enthused. I played the video as she walked in, so she would still think her mother was there.

"Bella? Bella?" Her mother's voice cried out, and I could hear Bella running to the sound. "Bella you scared me! Don't ever do that to me again!" Her mother's voice laughed, and at this point Bella realized what was happening. The screen turned blue and I made my entrance.

"Sorry about that, Bella, but isn't it better that your mother didn't really have to be involved in all this?" The apology wasn't necessary but I felt I should give her something before I took it all.

"Yes," Her voice sounded at ease, she loosened a bit.

"You don't sound angry that I tricked you."

"I'm not," I was astonished by her bravery. Well, that's not the right word for it, her idiocy. She knew what I was, and my abilities, yet she seemed… happy that I did not involve her mother. What a strange creature.

"How odd. You really mean it." Something with in me groaned. I was taking to long and my thirst was growing every instant. This Bella did smell quite good. "I will give your strange coven this much, you humans can be quite interesting." But so much more satisfying as a meal. "I guess I can see the draw of observing you. It's amazing- some of you seem to have no sense of your own self-interest at all." When I said this, I realized two things. One being that I was moving closer to her with every word.

The second was that I felt, almost, sorry for Bella. She was risking her life to save the ones she loved. I would do that for the ones I loved… _Victoria._

My head immediately hurt after thinking of her. What was she going through? I knew that something had happened between us, something that hadn't been there before. What was that feeling?

"I suppose your going to tell me that your boyfriend will avenge you," Which was just what I wanted. He was an idiot to love a human, when so many more beautiful and wonderful vampires were available to him.

"No, I don't think so. At least, I told him not to." Bella gave me a bemused look. Her eyes spoke of something that I could not decipher. Was it love?

"And what was his reply to that?" Of course he would be angry with me for killing his darling. How did she expect him to react?

"I don't know. I left him a letter."

"How romantic, a last letter." I tried to put sarcasm into my voice but, truth be told, I really did think this was romantic. It showed Bella's compassion and how much she cherished him and his existence. "And do you think he will honor it?"

"I hope so." That was her response, _I hope so_. What a stupid, stupid child. You don't hope for things, because those things never come true. I hoped for so many things over the years, and what I always desired most slipped thru my fingers, no matter how hard I held on.

"Hmmm. Well, our hopes differ then." And, once again, I hoped. I was just as stupid as Bella. "You see, this was all a little too easy, too quick. To be quite honest, I'm disappointed. I expected a much greater challenge. And, after all, I only needed a little luck."

Bella just gave me that same, puzzled expression. "When Victoria-" and my heart wrenched again- "couldn't get to your father, I had her find more about you." Of course I didn't have Victoria go to Bella's house, that was just to scare the girl, to make it more fun for me. "There was no sense in running all over the planet chasing you down when I could comfortably wait for you in a place of my choosing. So, after I talked to Victoria, I decided to come to Phoenix to pay your mother a visit. I'd heard you say you were going home. At first I never dreamed you meant it. But then I wondered. Humans can be very predictable; they like to be somewhere familiar, somewhere safe. And wouldn't it be the perfect ploy, to go to the last place you should be when hiding- the place you said you'd be."

Bella looked angry and confused at the same time, two emotions I did not want. I wanted _fear_, cold, hard, unforgivable fear. Bella couldn't possibly be this strong a person, she was far too childish.

"But of course I wasn't sure, it was just a hunch. I usually get a feeling about the prey that I'm hunting, a sixth sense, if you will. I listened to your message when I got to your mother's house, but of course I couldn't be sure where you'd called from. It was very useful to have your number, but you could have been in Antarctica for all I knew, and the game wouldn't work unless you were close by." My game, as you have seen, had gone completely according to plan. It was simple, to say the least, almost too simple.

"Then your boyfriend got on a plane to Phoenix. Victoria was monitoring them for me, naturally; in a game with this many players, I couldn't be working alone. And so they told me what I'd hoped, that you were here after all. I was prepared; I'd already been through your charming home movies. And then it was simply a matter of the bluff." I enjoyed telling my story to someone, especially when I knew she would die soon. At that moment, I had a feeling that I should tell her all of my wonderful thoughts about Victoria, and those terrible memories about Aro, and everything I felt was bottled up in me. She would be dead soon, wouldn't it be good to get it out of me?

But I couldn't. She was my prey. If she had any sympathy for me, my plan would be ruined. "Very easy, you know, not really up to my standards. So, you see, I'm hoping you're wrong about your boyfriend. Edward, isn't it?" Bella didn't respond, I could tell it was all soaking in. She knew this was the end, and I just had to put the finishing touches on.

Remember that video camera I picked up from Bella's house, this is where it comes in.

"Would you mind, very much, if I left a letter of my own for your Edward?" Not hers for long. I stepped away from where I'd placed the camera and pressed the button to turn it on. "I'm sorry, but I just don't think he'll be able to resist hurting me after he watches this. And I wouldn't want him to miss anything. It was all for him, of course. You're simply a human, who unfortunately was in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and indisputably running with the wrong crowd, I might add."

"Before we begin…" I couldn't start the video yet. I realized there was something I wanted to tell Bella so she could take my secrets to the grave. It was something I'd never told anyone, not even my Victoria. _My _Victoria, didn't that sound strange, but strangely fitting?

"I would just like to rub it in, just a little bit. The answer was there all along, and I was so afraid Edward would see that and ruin my fun. It happened once, oh, ages ago. The one and only time my prey escaped me…"

**I'm so sorry if this was a slightly boring chapter. I needed to get through that part of the book and put it in James's point of view. I swear the next chapter will be much more exciting. AND it will have something from waaaaay before all this. Yay flashbacks, right?**


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